UMass hockey team prepares for two crucial games

In the category of what happened in the past doesn’t matter, the University of Massachusetts hockey team is not going to obsess over two possible distractions when it plays a pair of important Hockey East road games this weekend.

The Minutemen (11-7, 6-5) are at the University of New Hampshire (8-7-3, 8-2-2) Saturday night at 7, and then face Northeastern (8-8-1, 4-7-1) Sunday night at 8 at Matthews Arena in Boston in a game televised on ESPNU. That contest was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was moved for TV.

The New Hampshire obsession could be over longtime UMass nemesis Bobby Butler. Butler’s two goals gave the Wildcats a 4-2 win in the second of back-to-back meetings at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen had won the previous night 4-3 as Casey Wellman scored with 11 seconds left to force overtime, and David Boehm added the game-winner.

Butler has scored 13 goals in only 18 games. Eight of his goals have been at even strength, and another shorthanded.

The Northeastern game could possibly be seen as a chance for the Minutemen to avenge last year’s best-of-three playoff defeat, when all games were also played at Matthews Arena.

But UMass coach Toot Cahoon doesn’t want his team to get worked up about either of the above; he just wants them to start to execute.

“We’ve got to watch (Butler) and his line, of course, but we just need to play well. It’s about us executing what we do,” Cahoon said.

The Northeastern playoff card is just a joker.

“What we did last year was last year, we have to deal with the cards we’re dealt now,” Cahoon said.

Those cards include injuries to Chase Langeraap, Michael Lecomte, and Boehm.

After a 9-2 start, the Minutemen have dropped five of their last seven. This weekend represents the second and third games of a nine-game month of conference contests. UMass lost to BU 7-3 in the first game last Saturday. So it’s critical to come away this weekend with at least some points.

The Minutemen have defeated Northeastern in eight of their last 13 meetings.